With all the fuss about that Viral photograph of the two very different French bulldogs, how important is their nose shape to their health, really?

Question

I’m talking about the photograph where we see a French bulldog with practically no nose who won the Best in Show versus a French Bulldog that is reportedly healthier being raised by a breeder who wants a healthier standard for Bulldogs. How does the nose shape affect their health and breathing? Is there a similar thing in humans, where our respiratory health as a correlation to how our noses are shaped? How, if so?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Breathe normally through your nose – easy enough to do.

Now grab hold of your nose, squash it into your face, pinch it shut a bit and then try breathing – it is now much harder.

This is what humans have inadvertently bred into dogs like bulldogs and pugs – the squashed nose has been seen as aesthetically pleasing, so breeders have intentionally fostered this trait in their breeding, even though it has progressively caused more and more issues for the dogs.